Today we continue our rewatch of Star Wars Rebels with episodes 41 through 45 of the popular Lucasfilm animated series.
Star Wars Rebels stars the vocal talents of Taylor Gray as Ezra Bridger, Vanessa Marshall as Hera Syndulla, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Kanan Jarrus, Steven Blum as Zeb Orrelios, Tiya Sircar as Sabine Wren, and series co-creator Dave Filoni as Chopper.
Episode 41: “The Antilles Extraction” – After a series of Imperial ambushes, the Rebel Alliance is in the need of new pilots. Fortunately, Phoenix Squadron receives a tip from a new “Fulcrum” contact that several cadets in the Imperial Academy are looking to defect to the Rebellion. Sabine volunteers to infiltrate the academy and extract pilot-in-training Wedge Antilles (Nathan Kress) and his friend Hobbie (Trevor Devall). Governor Pryce (Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) attempts to trap the rebels using a training exercise as bait, but after they are rooted out and captured, Sabine, Wedge, and Hobbie escape with unexpected help from Agent Kallus (David Oyelowo).
Episode 42: “Hera’s Heroes” – The Ghost visits Hera’s homeworld of Ryloth, only to discover that Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) has begun using the Syndullas’ ancestral home as an Imperial headquarters on the planet. Hera becomes dead set on retrieving an important family heirloom called the Kalikori, but during the quest she and Ezra are captured by Thrawn. Hera’s father Cham Syndulla (Robin Atkin Downes) offers himself to the Empire as a trade for the prisoners, but Hera and Chopper enact a plan that destroys their home but allows them to escape instead of reclaiming the Kalikori, as Thrawn watches on, impressed by the feat.
Episode 43: “The Last Battle” – Kanan, Ezra, and Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker) visit a Clone Wars-era battlefield to search for supplies, but instead they encounter a still-active Separatist tactical droid self-identifying as Kalani (Gregg Berger) and his army of Battle Droids (Matthew Wood). Kalani wants to stage a rematch between the Jedi and Clone Trooper and his battalion to prove his superiority, and our heroes are forced to play along in order to claim the munitions they seek. When Ezra secretly sends out a distress call to the Ghost, the Empire intercepts it and the droids reluctantly partner with the Jedi to combat a shared enemy. The crew escapes without the munitions, but with a replacement for the Phantom.
Episode 44: “Imperial Supercommandos” – The rebels lose contact with the Mandalorian planet of Concord Dawn, so Fenn Rau (Kevin McKidd) is released from prison to accompany Sabine and Ezra to investigate. The team discovers that the Mandalorian Protectors have allied themselves with the Empire instead of following Rau’s command, so Fenn teams up with our protagonists to battle the new Supercommandos (whose armor is based on early concept art for the character of Boba Fett).
Episode 45: “Iron Squadron” – The Ghost assists a YT-2400 freighter (the same type of ship as the Outrider from Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire) that is crewed by a group of teenagers including their leader Mart Mattin (voiced by Zachary Gordon but named after Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin). This group calls themselves “Iron Squadron” and are seemingly intent on confronting the Empire all by themselves. Fortunately, Phoenix Squadron and Mart’s uncle Commander Sato (Keone Young) help these inexperienced rebels take on Thrawn and live to fight another day– with the assistance of the larger Rebel Alliance, of course.
Star Wars Rebels is available to stream in its entirety on Disney+.